Clinical Laboratory and Epidemiological Research on Cutaneous leishmaniasis in the South West of Iran

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most important health problems in different regions of Iran that occurs both in zoonotic and anthroponotic forms in different foci of Iran. The Khuzistan Province, located in the South West of Iran in vicinity of the Persian Gulf, is one of the oldest susceptible foci for CL in Iran. Objectives: Due to the lack of information about the conditions in the focus of Behbahan County, the present study was conducted to find out the epidemiology of CL in this area. Materials and Methods: The data of this descriptive cross-sectional study consisted of all patients with CL referred to the Behbahan County Health Center with the symptoms of CL and presence of leishman bodies in Giemsa-stained smears. Parasites considered to be Leishmania major according to the essence a great vacuole in the cytoplasm. Results: The study showed that the rate of CL incidence with the general rate of 0.18 per 1000 people. Ulcers were present in 172 patients, comprising 44.8% female and 55.2% male. In 55 cases (32%), the ulcers were located on the hand, in 54 cases (31.4%) on the feet, in 33 cases (19.2%) on the face and in 30 cases (17.4%) on other parts of the body. The highest incidence was found among patients with two age groups of 20 -29 (27.3%) and 10 -19 years old (26.2%). Conclusions: With respect to the increased prevalence of CL in Behbahan County, health care observers should pay close attention to prevent the disease spread. Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:The role of cultural and demographic factors well has been described in prevalence of Cutaneous leishmaniasis. That is very important in the control of Cutaneous leishmaniasis in this county and Iran. The study area has an important strategic position, bordering with Iraq country.

Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects of Scorpion Sting among Children in South Part of Iran

“…This result is in line with other studies in Iran and Saudi Arabia (Kassiri, Mohammadzadeh Mahijan, et al, 2012), (Isazadehfar, Eslami, & Entezariasl, 2013;Mahaba, 1997;B. Vazirianzadeh, Hossienzadeh, Moravej, Vazirianzadeh, & Mosavi, 2013).…”

“…Clinical condition of subjects in this study was not too much sever, however, most if victims developed clinical symptoms such as pain, erythema, burning and edema, which is in accordance with the findings of many of other studies (Kassiri, Teimouri, Shemshad, Sharifinia, & Shemshad, 2012), (Rahmani et al, 2015), (Talebian & Doroodgar, 2006). Scorpion venom can cause a variety of sign such as pain at the site of sting, possible leading to death (Vatanpour, 2003).…”

“…In this study, most scorpion sting cases occurred in rural areas compared with urban areas, which is in line with other studies conducted in Iran (Kassiri, Mohammadzadeh Mahijan, Hasanvand, Shemshad, & Shemshad, 2012).However, high frequencies of the scorpion sting in the urban areas of the Khoozestan province had been reported as well . It can be inferred that this difference may be due to ecological factors, scorpion's fauna, distribution of scorpions and geographical differences in the western and southern regions of Iran.…”

A Biosystematic and Morphometric Investigation of the Characters of Rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia) as Reservoir Hosts for Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Focus of Sistan-Baluchistan Province, Iran

“…Generally, CL has been distributed in Iran in recent decades. It is endemic in 15 out of the 31 provinces of the country and sporadic in other areas (1,11,12). Lately, several new foci of CL have been reported, indicating the potential spread of the disease in Iran.…”

The Prevalence, laboratory confirmation, clinical features and public health significance of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Badrood city, an old focus of Isfahan Province, Central Iran

“…The CL is endemic in 88 countries in the different regions of the world [5][6][7][8] . This disease is common in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world.…”